


Naiad

by BeccaAnne814



Series: Steve Rogers x Reader Series [6]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Death, Drowning, F/M, Fluff, Kidnapping, Mentions of Past Torture, Violence, cursing, near-drowning, surprise cameos - Freeform, traumatic flashbacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:48:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21818701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeccaAnne814/pseuds/BeccaAnne814
Summary: After being held captive by HYDRA for most of your life, you’re finally rescued by a hero you’d read about in your history books in school.  Steve Rogers is alive and well, and somehow he’s the only human being you can touch without killing instantly.  Your powers are as much of a mystery to you as they have been to HYDRA for over fifteen years, but with the help of Tony Stark, you might just discover how to control them.
Relationships: Steve Rogers x Reader
Series: Steve Rogers x Reader Series [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/774303
Comments: 15
Kudos: 36





	Naiad

**Steve Rogers x Reader**

**Summary** – After being held captive by HYDRA for most of your life, you’re finally rescued by a hero you’d read about in your history books in school. Steve Rogers is alive and well, and somehow he’s the only human being you can touch without killing instantly. Your powers are as much of a mystery to you as they have been to HYDRA for over fifteen years, but with the help of Tony Stark, you might just discover how to control them.

**Warnings** – Mentions of past torture, Kidnapping, Surprise Cameos, Traumatic Flashbacks, Drowning, Near-drowning, Death, Violence, Fluff…probably a curse word or two

**Word Count** – 15.4K

**Notes **\- Parts 1 - 12 of 12

** _**Updated December 16, 2019**_ **

_ ** [Masterlist](https://beccaanne814.tumblr.com/post/174989754188/masterlist) ** _

[[MORE]]

She'd known she was different for most of her life, but she'd also known better than to let anyone else in on her secret—especially her foster parents. She'd seen the way they'd reacted when their neighbor's kid had come out a gay, so she knew they would never understand her. They were full of hate and bigotry, and when it came to individual differences, they weren't just intolerant, they truly believed that people who didn't conform to society's standards needed to be exterminated.

What made her different wasn't anything anyone could explain—if she'd ever had the nerve to ask. All she knew was that when she touched anything living, it withered up and died. Her foster parents had assumed she'd just become an angsty teenager when she'd started dressing in multiple layers and refused to let anyone touch her, but she was just trying to protect her secret—and not kill anyone accidentally.

It hadn't been until she'd spilled a cup of water that she realized that she wasn't just killing things—she was absorbing all the water out of them. As she ran her fingers through the small puddle on her desk, she'd been amazed to see it slowly disappearing before her eyes.

For months after her discovery, she'd practiced and honed her newfound "powers," and she was thrilled when she learned that she could also manipulate the water around her. Often times, she would sneak down to the lake on the other side of town to try her hand at creating gigantic waves or walls of water just for fun.

But she hadn't been careful.

So caught up in her own hubris, she hadn't seen the two kids from her school making out on the beach while she'd been busy playing with her powers. They hadn't wasted any time ratting her out to her foster parents. Less than twenty-four hours later, she'd been shipped off to God-knows-where with men and women in long, white lab coats who only referred to her by a number instead of her name.

For years, she'd lived in the facility as they ran test after test on her. The building looked a little run down, so she'd assumed it was an old hospital that they'd retrofitted for their inhumane experiments. She knew she wasn't the only other "miracle"—their word, not hers—in the prison. At night she could hear the sobs of a girl on the other side of the wall from her, but she was never allowed to see or speak to anyone other than her captors.

She'd tried to keep track of the time she'd been held prisoner, but after two years, she'd given up. It depressed her to think about how long she'd been held against her will, and even more so when she dared to consider how much longer she'd have to stay locked up with those psychos.

Escape had been the foremost thought in her mind when they'd first brought her in, and she hadn't batted an eye at killing over a dozen of them as she tried day after day to regain her freedom. Up until then, she'd never used her powers against a human, and the first time she "drained" someone she'd been shocked to see the mummy-like state they were reduced to once she was finished with them. If she hadn't been so repulsed that very first time, she might have stood a chance of escaping, but as the days wore on, they discovered new ways to damper her powers and her escape attempts grew less effective until they'd figured out how to permanently subdue her.

The drugs coursing through her system kept her too groggy to concentrate on using her powers and left her vulnerable to the doctors that continued to experiment on her. In her hazy state, she'd still been lucid enough to figure out that they wanted to identify where her abilities came from so they could weaponize it. 

It was always about power and control with these types of people. Instead of appreciating something different and unique, they focused on ways to exploit it for their own benefit. She hadn't cared who'd been behind the funding of this organization, but she wouldn't have been surprised if it was her own government. Conspiracy theorists had been claiming for years that the government was corrupt and needed to be stopped, but no one listened to the rantings of lunatics on the internet. Maybe they should.

She'd learned to mark time by the strict routine that was followed in the facility. The lights were always turned out for the exact same amount of time every night—or day, for all she knew. When they came back on, she'd be given her daily dose of sedative to keep her calm for that day's set of experiments. Meals were scheduled twice a day—once before her morning meds, and once before her evening meds.

Today was different, though. When the lights had come on, they'd been red, and sirens had blasted throughout the facility. In all of the years she'd been held prisoner, she'd never experienced this before. A spark of hope began to rise within her.

Outside of her door, she could hear bodies being thrown against walls, and a part of her hoped that one of her fellow captors had finally broken free and was killing them all. She just prayed that they'd remember to let all of them go before they broke out themselves. What would happen to them all if they were left here with no one to bring them food or water?

Pressing her ear against the cold steel of the door, she heard the sound of muffled voices on the other side. Closing her eyes, she strained to make out what they were saying.

"YN YLN," a man's voice said. "Looks like she has the ability to control water."

"Doesn't sound too dangerous," another man said.

YN wasn't sure if these men were good or bad, but at this point she didn't really care. The adrenaline that had begun to course through her veins was burning off the last bit of her evening sedative and she could feel herself start to "wake up" for the first time in years. All she needed was a sliver of an opening and she'd be free of this hellish nightmare. She wouldn't make the mistake she'd made all those years ago, though. No one would be spared this time around—she would either escape today or die trying.

When she heard the lock turning, she took a step back and readied herself. Once the door swung open, she didn't hesitate. Grabbing his face in her hands, she focused all of her energy on draining him dry.

But it didn't work.

Exhausted with the effort, she took a step back and drew ragged breaths into her aching lungs. What was happening to her? Were her powers gone?

"Are you okay, miss?" the blond man asked as he lifted a shield with a large white star and placed it on his back. "Buck, you go check the other rooms—I'll stay with her."

"Who—who are you?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around herself and retreated to the furthest corner of the room.

"I'm Steve," he said, looking confused. "You don't recognize me?"

"Should I?"

He let out a quiet laugh. "Most people recognize Captain America."

"Captain. . .?" She must have misheard him. There was no way the man standing before her was Captain America. He'd died back in 1945.

He cocked his head and reached for the file in the slot by the door. "How long have you been here?"

She shook her head. "I honestly don't know. It's been years."

He swore softly under his breath. "Dear God—fifteen years. No wonder you don't know who I am."

"Am I dead?" she asked. "Are we both dead? Is this hell?"

"We're both very much alive," he said as he held out a hand toward her. "And I'm going to get you out of here."

"My powers don't work anymore," she said absently. "I think they took them all."

"Don't worry about that. We'll get you squared away. Do you have family we should contact?"

She recoiled from him at the mention of family. There was no way in hell she wanted to ever lay eyes on her foster family again.

"I'll take that as a no," he said as he ushered her to a room with a bunch of haggard looking people. "Stay here while we free the rest of the prisoners."

As she glanced around at the others, she wondered if she looked as horrible as everyone else did. It had been years since she'd seen her own reflection, but judging from the dumbstruck look on everyone else's faces, they were all thinking the same thing.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted an African Violet sitting in a window sill. It was a lovely little plant, but completely incongruous in the stark white facility where so many atrocious horrors had been committed. She walked over to the window and gently ran her finger over one of the fuzzy leaves. To her amazement, it began to wither and die. Snatching her hand back quickly, she narrowed her gaze and studied the plant. It seemed as though her powers were working just fine, but why hadn't she been able to kill the Captain?

"I'm a what?"

"You're a mutant, my dear," the Professor repeated again with a sympathetic smile. "You were born with the Mutant X gene which is what gives you your abilities."

"That's all fine and dandy," Tony said with a skeptical look on his face. "But that doesn't explain why you're here."

The Professor wasn't put off by Tony Stark's brash demeanor. "I'm here to offer Ms. YLN an opportunity to come and live amongst others like her. At our facility, we educate and train mutants to help them realize their full potential."

Tony pulled out his mobile device and began tapping the screen. "That would be Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters?" He looked up from his screen for confirmation from the Professor. "That's an interesting euphemism for mutants—gifted youngsters."

"We like to keep a low profile," Professor Xavier said with a smile. "Unlike you, Mr. Stark."

Tony started to make a snappy comeback, but shrugged instead. "Touché."

Steve had been sitting quietly during the entire exchange, but he hadn't been idle. Running a search of his own, he'd looked up the Professor's school. "YN isn't exactly a child anymore. Why should she go to your school?"

"We take in mutants of all ages," the Professor explained. "But we prefer to find them when they're young—especially if they come from intolerant homes."

"Where were you fifteen years ago?" YN asked bitterly. She was still coming to terms with the fact that she'd lost half of her life in the secret HYDRA facility, and finding out that there was a group of people that could've helped her all those years ago wasn't helping her get over it any faster.

The Professor gave her a empathetic look. "I'm so sorry that we never discovered that awful place where you were kept. If we'd known, we would have rescued all of you years ago."

YN wasn't sure whether she should believe him or not. She looked to Steve to gauge his reaction. Since he'd saved her life a few months ago, she'd started to grow attached to him. She wasn't sure if it was because he'd been the one to rescue her, or if it was due to the fact that he was the only human being she'd been able to touch since her abilities had manifested. Either way, she wasn't ready to abandon him just yet.

"Are you a mutant, too?" she asked, changing the subject to give herself more time to think.

"I am."

"What can you do?"

_"I'm a telepath." _

YN shoved back her chair and quickly stood. "Get out of my head."

"I apologize," the Professor said as he reached forward to try to comfort her.

"Don't," Steve said as he stepped in between them. 

"Is there a problem here?" Wanda asked as she entered the room. She'd sensed another telepath in the building and had come to see who it was, but hadn't been expecting to walk into such a volatile situation.

The Professor cocked his head to the side. "So, Ms. YLN isn't the only mutant you have living here."

"I'm not a mutant," Wanda informed him with a hard look.

"I'm afraid you are," the Professor began as he narrowed his eyes. "Ms. Maximoff."

Sparks of red began to emanate from Wanda's fingertips. "I guess now I know how everyone else feels when I go poking where I'm not welcome."

The Professor looked abashed. "I apologize. It's a force of habit." He nodded before continuing. "Your Mutant X gene may have been manipulated into manifesting, but that doesn't make you any less of a mutant."

"People do that?" Tony asked.

"Unfortunately, all too often." The Professor's face turned solemn. "There have been many mutants who've come to our doors looking for solace and answers after having been tortured. Some of them have recovered, but others. . ." He paused and shook his head. "Let's just say others have used their experiences to justify their actions in ways that we don't approve of."

YN looked around the room at her new friends. They'd been kind enough to take her in when they'd realized that she had no family, but they hadn't made her feel like a burden. She caught Steve's eye, and she saw the wariness in his. She might be mistaken, but she was pretty sure he didn't want her to leave.

She turned to the Professor. "I appreciate you coming here to see me. . ."

"But?"

"But she'll be staying here with us," Tony finished for her.

"Why don't you let her speak for herself?" the Professor asked as he looked at YN questioningly.

"Tony's not putting words in my mouth. I want to stay with the Avengers. I'm sure your school is wonderful, but I'm doing just fine here."

The Professor looked from YN to Steve, and YN could sense that he was poking his nose in where he didn't belong again. It didn't matter though, she thought. Steve was the main reason she wanted to stay, but he wasn't the only one. Wanda and Natasha had taken her under their wing and had helped her find her feet again, and Tony had become a sort of father figure she hadn't realized she'd needed. Bucky and Sam were helping her with the PTSD, and Bruce was helping her understand the science behind her abilities. She may not have known the name for her particular affliction, but the people who'd taken her in hadn't cared about labels—they'd only cared about her.

"I understand," the Professor said as he turned his wheelchair toward the door and began to take his leave. "But if you ever change your mind, you're always welcome."

YN stayed behind with Steve and Wanda as Tony showed their guest out. She could tell Wanda wanted to give her a hug, but YN was just starting to learn how to control her abilities. With her emotions running so high, she didn't want to take the chance of hurting her friend. 

Steve had no reservations, though. Pulling her into his arms, he began to run his hands up and down her back. "I'm glad you stayed."

She buried her face into the crook of his shoulder. "You're not getting rid of me that easily."

Steve began to chuckle, and YN smiled. Professor Xavier might have been able to teach her more about her abilities, but she'd finally found a family that loved her for who she was, and she wasn't ready to give that up just yet.

"Focus."

YN tried to see Steve's comment as one of encouragement, but for some reason it came off as more annoying than anything else. What did he think she was trying to do? 

With a huff, she set the withered plant down hard on the table and closed her eyes in frustration.

"You'll get it."

She glared up at him and instantly felt guilty. He looked so sweet with his optimistic smile and easygoing charm it was hard to stay mad at him for long.

"I know," she sighed. "I'm just tired of killing everything I touch."

He walked over to her and grabbed her hands as he pulled her to her feet. Leaning in, he placed a quick kiss on her lips. "Not everything."

She rolled her eyes as she laughed and wrapped her arms around his impossibly tiny waist. "Thank God for the serum."

He held onto her for a few more moments as he enjoyed the feel of her in his arms with her head resting against his shoulder. They'd discovered early on that the serum regenerated his cells faster than she could deplete them, but she still wanted to learn to control her powers so she wouldn't accidentally hurt anyone else. Steve couldn't blame her for that. After he'd gained his super-strength, he'd been reluctant to get close to anyone for the same reason. 

"Why don't you take a break?" he suggested as he pulled away and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.

She shook her head. "No, I need to keep going." She looked back down at the blackened remains of the plant she'd been practicing with. "If there's something you need to do, I'll be fine on my own for a bit."

"Are you sure?"

She smiled and kissed him again. "Positive. Now go, so I can concentrate."

He gave her a wink and headed for the elevator on the opposite side of the lab Tony had set up for her use. YN gave him a little wave goodbye just as the doors closed shut. She turned back to the room and surveyed her surroundings. There were so many plants scattered throughout the space that it was almost like a greenhouse.

Except for the corner in the back. That was where she'd put all the plants she'd killed since she'd begun her training. The team was anxious to get her in the field with them, but until she could control her powers, she'd be more of a liability than a help.

Grabbing another potted plant, she brought it back to her table and stared at it. Just once, she'd like to be able to touch it without it withering on the spot.

"I can hear you thinking two floors down."

She recognized the voice instantly and couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face. "Then turn the music up."

Tony huffed and sauntered over to her. "You planning on letting this ficus live, or is it getting a one way ticket to the compost pile?"

She reached out and grazed a finger over the leaves. Instantly, they began to wither. "Compost pile it is."

He sat on the corner of the desk and reached for her hand.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked as she snatched her hand back as quickly as she could. "Do you have a death wish?"

He held out his hand and flexed his fingers at her. "C'mon. Gimme."

"No." She crossed her arms over her chest and hid her hands from him.

"You're not going to hurt me."

She nodded toward the ficus. "I just killed that plant and I barely touched it."

He narrowed his eyes. "Then bring it back to life."

"What?"

"You heard me." He grabbed the plant and scooted it closer to her. "Imagine it turning green again and then do it."

"That's not how this works, Tony."

"Says who?"

"Says the dozens of plants I've killed in the last week."

"I've been reading through HYDRA's notes," he admitted with a shrug. She started to protest, but he held up a hand to stop her so he could finish. "They understood your abilities better than you do. Hate to say it, but it's true."

"So, you're telling me that I have the ability to bring things back to life?"

"Not exactly." He paused as he tried to put his thoughts into words. "You can manipulate the water molecules all around you. So far, you've only experimented with removing them. . ."

"I used to be able to make waves," she said as her brow furrowed. It had been so long since she'd thought about her teenage years experimenting with her newfound powers. "I could make the water do anything I wanted it to do."

"Okay, then. Do it."

"Do what?"

"Your power isn't in your hands, YN." He reached out and tapped her forehead causing her to draw back in surprise. "It's in your mind."

"That's ridiculous. . ."

"HYDRA is evil and corrupt, but they know their science. If they thought your ability was mental—not physical—then I have a tendency to believe them." He reached over and flicked the blackened leaf of the ficus. "They were trying to weaponize you after all."

Before she could say anything, he stood and began heading back toward the elevator, and she let him go. His words had left her reeling, and she wasn't sure what to do with this new information. Could he be right? Could her ability be mental? If it was, then that opened up a whole new realm of possibilities.

Squaring her shoulders, she stared down at the plant before her. As she concentrated, she visualized the plant turning green with life again. Hesitantly, she reached out and gently touched the withered leaves. To her astonishment, she saw the little ficus springing back to life before her eyes.

She sat back in her chair as she tried to catch her breath. Adrenaline was coursing through her veins and her heart was racing. She'd done it—she'd finally touched something without killing it.

Shaking her head, she let out a long breath and considered her next course of action. She knew she still had a long way to go, but this was a step in the right direction. Rising from her chair, she headed toward the elevator. She needed to see HYDRA's notes for herself. As much as she hated having anything to do with the organization that had kept her prisoner for half her life, she knew their research was the key to realizing her true potential.

She sat in the Quinjet and tried not to let her nerves get the best of her. She'd been training for weeks—months—for this, and she was determined not to let any of her new friends down. Between Tony and Steve, she'd been able to finally grasp the true nature of her powers and for the first time in her life, she felt as though she finally had control of her abilities.

Realizing that being able to manipulate water molecules was more mental than physical had unlocked something within her, and it had been as though a veil had been lifted from her eyes. Now she saw the world in a completely different light. There were still times when the weight of her gift—her mutation—seemed to be too much to bear, but Steve was always right there to remind her that she didn't have to do it alone.

She reached over to where her love sat beside her and interlaced her fingers with his. He was studying the schematics of the building the were preparing to infiltrate, but he paused long enough to shoot her a quick smile. Her heart fluttered in her chest like it always did when he looked at her and she wondered if she'd ever get to used to the fact that he belonged to her in a way that no one else could claim.

"We're coming up on the drop zone," Tony announced as he put FRIDAY in control of the jet and started toward the back of the plane.

YN stood and watched in awe as Tony tapped the glowing triangular chest-piece. In a matter of seconds, the nanotechnology had encased him in the latest version of the Iron Man suit. It didn't matter how many times she saw him do it, it never ceased to amaze her.

"You ready?" Steve asked as he laid a hand on her shoulder to draw her attention back to him. He and Tony had decided to take her with them for a simple mission her first time out, but he was still worried that she wasn't ready.

"No," she answered honestly, "but I don't know that I'll ever be completely sure of myself." She gave him a shaky smile. "That's why I've got you to watch my back, though."

He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Always."

He grabbed a parachute for himself and one for her as they followed Tony to the cargo door that was already starting to lower. 

"Now or never," she whispered to herself as she jumped out of the plane.

_________________

Things had gone to shit almost as soon as they'd touched down. This new version of HYDRA had popped up during the aftermath of the Decimation, but now that the team was all back together again, they'd focused all their efforts on eradicating the evil organization once and for all. They'd split into four teams of three to hit as many facilities as possible simultaneously. They were in hopes that this method of attack would catch HYDRA off guard and they could cut them off at the knees.

Tony was currently outside of the warehouse dealing with the laser cannons that kept trying to blow him out of the sky. If he didn't neutralize them before they were ready to blow the building, there was a chance the Quinjet might not be able to outdistance their blast radius quick enough.

YN and Steve had split up, but HYDRA had been expecting them to do just that. So far, she hadn't had an opportunity to use her powers, but she'd gone into the facility with one of the high-powered assault rifles, so she wasn't defenseless.

She'd taken out the HYDRA agents standing between her and her objective for the mission, and once she'd retrieved the information she'd been tasked with gathering, she'd headed back into the maze of hallways to search for Steve.

When she finally located him, she wasn't surprised to find him fighting off ten agents by himself. Shaking her head, she shouldered her weapon and began picking off the outliers one by one.

"I had that under control," he told her once he'd incapacitated the last agent.

She gave him a knowing smile. "I know you did, but it never hurts to have backup."

He nodded and gently squeezed her shoulder. "Speaking of backup, any word from Tony?"

"Nothing yet. He's still cleaning up the mess outside."

"We'd better go help."

YN nodded and let him take the lead. He had his shield positioned in front of him as he crouched down a bit to make himself a smaller target. She followed behind him with her rifle positioned just over his shoulder in case she needed to take someone out quickly.

The facility was oddly quiet as they crept through the halls. Most of the doors along the corridor were locked, so Steve continued heading straight. YN smelled a trap and told him as much.

"You're probably right," he agreed. "But it'll make it easier for us to take out the rest of them if they're all grouped together."

She rolled her eyes and chuckled softly. "Does anything faze you?"

"Nope."

They rounded the last corner and came face to face with a set of double doors. Steve looked over his shoulder and motioned for her to take the position on the right while he went to the left. She waited until he had a pistol in his hand before she kicked opened the door and dropped low. 

The room was crawling with HYDRA agents and YN felt a moment of panic. Punishing it down, she focused on the task at hand as she began to pick off the assailants. Steve was busy with agents of his own, trusting that she could take care of herself. She didn't want to let him down, but they were vastly outnumbered and Tony was nowhere in sight.

When her gun jammed, she tossed it away without a second thought and began to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the men that were now swarming around her. Using a trick Nat had shown her, she utilized her own momentum to flip an agent over her back as she snapped the bones in his forearm.

As he screamed in pain, something on his wrist caught her eye. Just beneath the band of his watch was a tiny tattoo of the HYDRA logo. Her eyes shot back to his in question.

"Cut off one head and two more shall take its place," the man snarled up at her.

An idea began to take root in her mind, but she needed confirmation before she could implement it. Using her boot, she smashed the man's nose and turned to another agent that was closing in on her. When she grabbed his arm and pushed back his watch, she was pleased to see that he also had the tiny tattoo. With an evil glint in her eye, she took him down and then turned to find Steve.

"I've got a plan," she shouted at him as she headed toward a control room a few yards from the main doors. "I need you to cover me for a few minutes."

Steve didn't question her, but did exactly as she'd requested. She slipped into the unoccupied room and pulled the door shut behind her. If this didn't work, she wasn't sure how she and Steve would make it out of this warehouse alive.

Blocking out the noise of the fight outside the control room, she closed her eyes and called forth the image of the HYDRA tattoo in her mind. Finding her focus, she tapped into the part of her brain that controlled her ability and visualized how she wanted her power to manifest. The enormity of what she was trying to do made her head ache in a way she'd never felt before, but she pushed through the pain. With a guttural scream, she threw out her arms and felt the power wash over her.

All at once there was quiet. The only sound she could hear was her own breaths coming in ragged gasps. She wasn't sure if it had worked, but since she was currently lightheaded and dizzy, something must have happened.

The door opened and Steve rushed into the room. She saw the look of horror on his face and for a moment she thought it was directed at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked just before she began to crumple to the floor. He reached out and grabbed her before she hit the ground.

"Did it work?" she asked as he eyes began to flutter closed.

"They're all dead." He paused as he tried to find the words to describe what he'd just witnessed. "It was just like Wakanda all over again—they all just turned to dust right in front of me."

In that moment, YN understood why Steve was so shaken by what he'd seen. She felt a moment of guilt for making him relive that horrible memory, but she couldn't feel sorry about what she'd done. It was either the HYDRA agents or them, and she'd always choose them—no matter what the cost.

"What the hell just happened?" Tony asked through the comms. "FRIDAY reported that all of the heat signatures in the room just up and vanished."

Steve sat on the floor with YN cradled in his arms as he looked out over the empty warehouse beyond the door of the control room. "YN took them all out."

"There were over fifty agents in that room, Rogers."

YN closed her eyes and stared to let herself drift off, but before she did, she heard Tony say one last thing.

"An entire warehouse of armed HYDRA agents? That's one helluva first day if you ask me."

She felt the blackness weighing her down, but it wasn't just the dark that was suffocating her—it was the water. It was as though she was in deep swimming pool with the pressure of the water pushing against her as the lights from the surface slowly started to fade the deeper she went. The oxygen in her system was running out, and she fought against the urge to take a breath, but her body's instincts kicked in and all at once she was drowning. 

"Is she okay?" Tony asked when he saw Steve carrying out YN's limp body.

Steve shook his head as he rushed to the Quinjet. "No. I think she pushed herself too far. We need to get her back home now."

YN could hear the sound of Steve and Tony's voices, but she couldn't respond. She felt herself slowly start to slip away, but she was powerless to stop it.

_She opened her eyes as something jarred her awake. Looking around, she realized she was in the car with her parents. She wasn't sure where they were going, but it was already dark, so she hoped they were headed home._

_Her parents were deep in conversation, so they didn't notice that she'd awakened, but YN didn't mind. The rain outside was pouring buckets, as her dad liked to say, and she liked to trace the droplets as they streaked down the window beside her. Rain didn't bother her the way it did her parents—there was something about the sound of it that made her feel safe._

_"You need to slow down," YN heard her mother tell her father._

_"It's fine," he answered sharply. "It's not raining that hard."_

_YN saw the headlights beaming through the windshield at the same time her mother did, but it wasn't until her mom started screaming that YN realized something was wrong._

_"He's hydroplaning right toward us," her mother yelled._

_She felt the car jerk as her father turned the wheel to avoid crashing into the other person. YN's whole body shifted and the seatbelt dug into her neck and chest as it pulled taut to keep her in her seat. She had no idea what happened next, but all of sudden she was flung to the side and her head cracked against the window._

_When she opened her eyes again, it was completely dark. She knew she was still in the car since the seatbelt was still pulled taut against her chest. Calling out for her parents, she waited to hear their comforting voices, but they didn't answer._

_The sound of rushing water was all she could hear, but she couldn't figure where the sound was coming from. Straining her eyes, she struggled to see the few feet in front of her to where her parents should be. Reaching out, she grasped for anything that might be familiar. And that's when she felt it. _

_The water._

_The cold shock of the inky liquid had her drawing her hand back with a gasp of surprise. Her vision started to adjust to the darkness and she was finally able to make out the forms of her parents in the front seat of the car. She could just barely see where the windshield had been busted and water was pouring into the car._

_She began to scream for help as she desperately tried to undo the seatbelt—but it was stuck. The water level began to rise as the car continued to sink deeper and deeper into whatever body of water they'd crashed into. Panic rose up within her, but there was nothing she could do._

_The water eventually made its way up to her chest and she pounded frantically on the roof of the car in the vain hope that someone would hear her. When it reached her chin, she quit screaming and began sobbing. She was going to die just like her parents and no one would ever find them._

_When the water completely covered her mouth and nose, she instinctively held her breath. Being underwater without a way to reach the surface was an eerie sensation she'd never felt before. She knew she didn't have long until all the air in her lungs ran out, but she wasn't ready to give up just yet._

_She'd heard the stories of people seeing a bright light when they died, so when she saw the light moving closer toward her, she prepared herself for the worst. She was too young to die, but it didn't seem as if the universe cared about what she wanted anymore._

_Just as she was about to close her eyes, the light shone into her eyes and almost blinded her. She heard a muffled banging and then she felt hands grasping at her seatbelt buckle. Understanding dawned on her and she began to fight again. The universe hadn't given up on her after all._

_The pressure of the seatbelt abated and was replaced by a pair of arms wrapping tightly around her. She could feel herself being lifted toward the surface, but her vision was growing dark. She needed to take a breath, and even though she knew she needed to wait, she couldn't stop herself from opening her mouth and inhaling deeply._

_A violent fit of coughing brought her back to consciousness, and as the pain in her chest burned with each breath she took, she couldn't help but be glad it was air she was breathing and not water. Flashlights shone into her eyes, but she could just make out the medical emblem on the paramedic's jacket._

_"The parents?" she heard someone ask._

_"They didn't make it," another voice answered. "But we managed to save the little girl. We almost lost her there for a minute, but I think she's going to be fine."_

YN was drawn out of the memory by the sound of Steve's voice. It was like a beacon calling her home—and home is exactly where she wanted to be at the moment. The night her parents had died was one of the worst of her life, and she'd often wondered if her near-death experience in the river that night was what had caused her powers to manifest. 

It was either that, or the shock of losing her parents and being forced into the foster care system, but either way, her life had never been the same. After so many years of being lost and alone, she finally felt as though she had a family again and while she still missed her parents, Steve and the other Avengers loved her in a way she'd never thought possible.

Forcing her eyes open, she looked up at the worried face of her love. Her voice was hoarse and scratchy as she croaked out a simple word of greeting, but Steve's face lit up as though it was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard.

"Don't ever scare me like that again," he told her as he buried his face in the crook of her neck and wrapped his arms tightly against her.

She wanted to promise him that she wouldn't, but she knew it would be a lie. Meeting Tony's eyes, she realized that he understood her dilemma. She'd been gifted with these powers for a reason, and if it meant saving Steve's life, she'd do whatever it took to spare him—even if it meant sacrificing herself. 

"I'll do my best," she replied as she tried to keep her tone light and flippant. She didn't want to outright lie to him, but she knew he couldn't handle the truth—at least not right now. There was a part of him that knew they could never make promises like that—not in their line of work. He wasn't ready to think about it at the moment, and YN wondered if he ever would be.

Since the incident at the HYDRA facility, YN had become determined to master her powers once and for all. Steve hovered over her like a mother hen, and while she appreciated how much he cared, she needed to prove to both of them that she was capable of taking care of herself. She'd eventually convinced him that Tony would take care of her in the lab so he could spend his time solving the world's problems instead of watching her and Tony go through HYDRA's research.

She and Tony had spent hours pouring through the hundreds of pages of notes HYDRA had kept on her throughout the entire fifteen years they'd kept her captive. Most of those years were a blur to her due to the monotonous days and the drugs, but the more she read, the more her memories of her time with them started to come back to her.

Wanda had immediately noticed a difference in YN's mental state as she'd delved deeper into the torture from her past, and the younger woman had started joining her and Tony as they continued their research into YN's powers. YN knew Wanda had her own issues with HYDRA and their cruel experiments. Wanda's experience with HYDRA was similar to YN's except for one monumental difference—Wanda had volunteered, whereas YN had been taken captive against her will. It didn't negate the fact that they'd both been tortured and that Wanda had been as much of a prisoner as YN had been, but it still didn't make it any easier for Wanda to accept the part she'd willingly played in HYDRA's schemes. Wanda saw the use of her powers to lessen YN's pain as a way to assuage her own guilt, and YN was too grateful to argue.

"So, the water goes into you when you take it from something or someone?" Wanda asked as she leafed through some of the handwritten notes.

YN nodded. "That's what we're thinking."

"It definitely explains why YN was essentially drowning after taking out those goons last week," Tony added.

"Okay," Wanda said as she nodded her head. "So, if that's true, then it would stand to reason that when you give, instead of take, the water is coming from you."

Tony's head popped up as he looked at Wanda with wide eyes. "You're right. Shit."

YN took a deep breath and looked at the plant sitting beside her stack of papers. While she'd been reading, she'd been taking turns siphoning out the water from the tiny ficus and then subsequently returning it. "So, I can either drown from taking too much water, or end up like one of those HYDRA agents if I give too much." She sighed as she rolled her eyes. "Great."

Tony swiveled around to look at YN. "Didn't you say those little assholes by the lake ratted you out once they saw you playing with the water?"

YN wasn't sure where Tony was going with his question, but his mind worked in ways she'd never understand. "Yeah. I was making waves and whirlpools at the waters edge. Nothing major—just having some fun."

He pointed at her in triumph. "That's it."

"What's it?" Wanda asked as she turned to look at YN with confusion clouding her eyes.

YN shrugged and turned back to Tony. "Please explain to the non-geniuses, please?"

Tony rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands as he tried to put his thoughts into words they could understand easily. "HYDRA had it all wrong." He paused and pointed at her. "And so do you. Yes, your ability is controlled internally, but you don't have to keep internalizing it."

Shaking her head, YN said, "Yeah, I don't get it. Say it again, but use less words."

Tony sighed and looked around the room for a moment before grabbing a glass of water and setting it beside YN. "I want you to try something."

Wanda's expression turned to one of concern. "Tony?"

He held up a hand and stared at YN. "Just hear me out." When he was sure that YN was paying attention, he continued. "I want you to take the water out of this plant, but instead of absorbing it, I want you to put it into this glass."

YN drew back and thought about what he'd suggested. Was it even possible? Shaking her head, she realized it wouldn't hurt to try. She had no idea how to even accomplish what he wanted, but she understood the basic concept.

She reached out to touch the plant, but Tony stopped her.

"No, don't touch it. You didn't have to touch the HYDRA agents, you don't have to touch that plant."

YN drew her hand back and leaned forward to stare at the ficus. She held out her hands and visualized all the water contained in its leaves being drawn out like a rivulet of water running down a car window in the rain. To her amazement, a thin line of clear liquid began to be pulled from the plant like a string. Using her hands to guide her thoughts, she moved them away from the plant and closer to the glass.

With a tiny splash, the water fell into the glass and YN let out an exhausted breath. "I did it."

"Hell yeah, you did it," Tony said as he shook his head in wonder. "Now, can you put it back?"

"I think she needs a minute," Wanda interjected as she saw the tiny beads of sweat dotting YN's forehead.

After she'd caught her breath, YN attempted to perform the action again, just in the opposite direction. It took her a bit longer to master the task, and by the time the plant was healthy and green again, she felt like she'd just run a marathon.

"I think that's enough for today," Wanda announced once YN had successfully restored the ficus.

"Wanda's right," Tony agreed as he gave YN a huge smile. "I know it doesn't seem like much, but this is huge. We've discovered something in one afternoon that HYDRA couldn't figure out in fifteen years."

"Let's be glad they didn't," YN said with a sigh. "If they'd known this was possible, they'd have probably killed me years ago."

Tony didn't say as much, but he knew she was right. He'd found the notes where they'd successfully transferred YN's abilities to other subjects, but they'd all ended up dead—some had drowned from taking in too much water, and others had turned to dust from losing too much. If they'd known it was possible to manipulate the water without internalizing it, they wouldn't have needed to continue studying YN. 

Reading those notes had prompted him to have her try to restore the plants she'd drained, but he knew he would never show them to her. He hated keeping secrets from her, but he didn't want to burden her with more than he thought she could handle. She already knew that she'd been lucky to survive as long as she had, and she didn't need the added guilt of knowing her powers had caused the deaths of other innocents like her.

He felt Wanda's gaze on him, so he quickly began singing Freebird in his head to keep her from discovering what was really on his mind. "Why don't you help YN back up to her room. I'm sure Cap will be more than happy to make her something to eat and cuddle for a bit before she passes on out him."

YN smiled in spite of herself. "That actually sounds amazing." Her face turned serious. "Thank you, Tony. I don't know what I'd do without you."

He brushed aside her gratitude. "It's nothing. Now go get some rest, kid. We've got a busy day ahead of us tomorrow."

She nodded and turned toward the door as thin wisps of red encircled her and helped her exhausted body make its way back to her bed. As she glanced over to Wanda with a thankful look, she wondered if it would ever be possible for her to have complete control of her abilities. If they were more mental than physical, would she ever be able turn them off long enough to give her friend a hug without killing her? It might have been wishful thinking, but after what they'd discovered in the lab today, she thought there just might be a chance after all.

Tony walked into the lab and stopped dead in his tracks. "It's raining in my lab. YN, why is it raining in my lab?"

YN gave him a huge grin. "It's not raining—look again."

Tony took a tentative step forward and narrowed his eyes. Sure enough, the water droplets in the air weren't moving down, but rather up toward the ceiling where they were collecting in a huge puffy grey cloud. "Where's the water coming from?"

YN clapped her hands and immediately the water and the cloud disappeared. "I was pulling it from the atmosphere and concentrating it all into the cloud."

"You're getting good at this," Tony remarked with a proud look on his face. In the weeks since they'd discovered the true nature of her powers, she'd been slowly working on controlling them in a way that didn't endanger her life.

She shrugged and dropped her head. "It just takes practice, I guess."

Without thinking, he walked up and went to lay a hand on her shoulder. He only touched her for a moment, but her reflexes were good.

"Oh, my God, Tony," she exclaimed before she covered her mouth with her hands. "Are you okay?"

He took a step back and furrowed his brow. "I feel like I have to pee."

She tried not to laugh, but she couldn't help herself. "I'm so sorry. I felt you touch me and I just reacted."

"What did you do?"

"I'm not really sure," she said as her brow furrowed. "I guess I was thinking I needed to keep you hydrated. . ."

"Well, it worked," he said as he pointed toward the bathroom in the corner. "Give me a sec and then we're going to talk about this."

YN watched him hurry across the room and she couldn't help the bubble of laughter that rose up from within her. She knew it wasn't funny—she could have really hurt him, but now she was imagining taking down an entire army just by filling their bladders. 

She was still lost in her absurd fantasy when Tony returned from the bathroom.

"Okay, kid," he said as he pulled up a stool beside her. "You've come a long way, but we still need to figure out the biggest obstacle in your way."

She frowned. "Human touch."

"Yep," he said with a sigh. He paused and then vaguely gestured in her general direction. "So, how's things with you and Cap? I know the serum technically makes him immune to your powers, but have you actually tried—I mean really tried—to get a reaction out of him."

"What do you mean?"

Tony hemmed and hawed for a moment. "Well, I mean, your powers are closely related to your emotions. . ."

"Still not following you," she said with a shake of her head.

"Has anything happened while you two were. . ." Tony made a rude hand gesture before continuing, ". . .you know, playing hide the zucchini?"

YN's eyes grew wide. "What? No."

"Not once? Not ever?"

"We don't. . ." YN began as she felt embarrassment washing over her. "I mean we haven't. . .we're taking things slow."

Tony look unconvinced. "You two have been dating for months. . ."

YN narrowed her eyes at him. "Not everyone lets their libido run their lives."

"Touché." He nodded in agreement before moving on. "I really think you need to push yourself with him though."

"Tony," she yelled as clenched her fists to keep herself from reaching out and punching him.

"Not like that," he said with a wave of his hand. "I just think you need to figure out the extent of your powers."

She shook her head. "I don't think I'm ready. . ."

"You're ready," he interrupted with a stern look. "You already know you're capable of killing people with a single thought. . ."

"Thanks for that," she said with a look of horror on her face.

He ignored her interruption and kept going. "But you don't. You know how your powers work now, so it's just your own insecurities holding you back from trying to reach out to people—literally."

She thought about his words for a moment, and she couldn't find any fault in his logic. Maybe it was simply her own doubts that were holding her back. Knowing she couldn't hurt Steve made him safe, but what if she'd finally gained the control she'd always dreamed of? What if she was no longer a danger to the people she loved?

"What did you have in mind?"

He clapped his hands in triumph and then asked FRIDAY to send down Steve, Nat, and Wanda. "I may have already pre-arranged this."

She let out a exasperated sigh and shook her head. "Of course you did."

"Okay, before they get here, let me explain what we're going to do. You're going to start with Steve since he's the control in this experiment. Then you're going to move to Wanda. . ."

"What if I hurt her?"

"She can take care of herself," Tony remarked with a smirk. "You get out of hand and she'll use her magic on you."

YN nodded her head. "What about Nat?"

"Oh, she'll just knock you out."

YN laughed and shook her head as her three friends entered the room. None of them looked nervous, but she knew she must from the looks on all of their faces.

"It'll be fine," Steve said as he leaned over and placed a kiss on her forehead.

The three test subjects all took a seat in front of her and she mentally braced herself for what was to come. Tony had told her to push her limits with Steve, so she had no idea what was going to happen—if anything.

"I trust you," he told YN as he held out a hand toward her.

She took his hand in hers and closed her eyes. The first time she'd tried to hurt him, she'd still been slightly drugged, but now she was in full control of her abilities. Focusing all of her energy on him, she remembered what had happened to Tony earlier and thought about giving Steve a little extra hydration.

"Anything, Cap?" Tony asked after a few moments.

Steve shook his head. "Nothing."

Tony nodded his head and typed in a few notes. "Looks like that serum is stronger than her."

YN opened her eyes and smiled at Steve. "Well, at least now we know I can't accidentally kill you."

He leaned forward and kissed her. "I never thought you would."

Wanda elbowed Steve and pushed his stool out of the way. "My turn."

YN was more worried about Wanda than anyone else. It wasn't that she didn't love Nat as much, but YN knew the former Russian assassin could take care of herself. Wanda was more sensitive and YN hated the thought of the young woman losing trust in her.

"Are you ready?" YN asked as she held out a hand toward her friend.

"I'm not worried," Wanda assured her as she confidently placed her hand in YN's.

At first, YN concentrated on not doing anything. She held her breath as she watched Wanda's face carefully. "Do you feel anything?"

Wanda squeezed YN's hand. "I just feel you."

"Okay, this is good," Tony said with a triumphant look. "Now it's time to make something happen."

YN nodded. "Here we go." 

"Oh," Wanda said as her eyes grew large. In the next instant, her expression changed. "Never-mind, it's gone now."

"This is perfect," Tony said as he continued to make notes. "Now try Nat."

Feeling confident, YN squeezed Wanda's hand before letting go and turning to Nat. "Are you ready?"

"What did you do to her?" Nat asked as her gaze narrowed suspiciously.

YN shrugged. "I just gave her a little extra hydration. Then I took it away."

Nat's eyebrow lifted appreciatively. "Cute."

"You ready?" YN asked again as she held out her hand.

"Always," Nat said as she reached out and grasped YN's tightly.

YN went through the same process with Nat that she had with Wanda. She started off by focusing her attention on not doing anything, but when she tried, nothing seemed to happen.

"Do you feel anything?" YN asked Nat.

"Are you even trying?" Nat asked with a smirk.

"Tony?" YN asked with a confused look on her face.

A concerned look came over Wanda and Steve's faces. They both turned to Tony, but Steve was the first to speak. "What's going on, Tony?"

Tony ignored Steve and crossed his arms over his chest while giving Nat a long look. "When were you going to tell us, Romanoff?"

Nat released YN's hand and stood to leave. "A girl has to have some secrets, Tony. You should know that."

Steve watched Nat leave the lab with a dumbfounded look on his face. "What just happened here?"

"I'd like to know the answer to that question as well," YN added as her mouth formed a hard line.

Wanda was the first to catch on. "The Red Room, right?"

Tony nodded. "I've always wondered. . ."

"Wondered what?" Steve asked as his patience started to grow thin.

"HYDRA failed with the other Winter Soldiers because they were already too violent," he explained with a faraway look in his eye. "But I just couldn't see them giving up so easily." He focused on the people in front of him again. "Wouldn't it have been better to give the serum to someone while they were still young and malleable? Then they could train them however they wanted without the threat of them turning on them."

"You're saying HYDRA gave the serum to the girls in the Red Room?" YN asked as the pieces slowly started to fall into place.

Steve took a step back and stared at the spot where Nat had just been. "But she never said. . ."

Tony rubbed his beard. "She just did."

"She had to have known that we would figure it out," Wanda mused aloud.

"That woman never ceases to amaze me," Tony said as he typed a few more notes and then turned to YN. "Okay, kid. This was a success. Even with the surprise ending."

YN nodded and tentatively reached out to Wanda. The other woman eagerly took her hand in her own and gave it a squeeze. "Yeah, it was a complete success."

"We've got a problem," Pepper announced as she stormed into the lab with a tablet in her hand.

"Hello, dear," Tony snarked as one eyebrow raised dramatically. "It's nice to see you, too."

Pepper's mouth formed a hard line as she flipped the tablet around. "Not the time, Tony."

YN watched the news report displayed on the screen and was shocked to see a grainy photograph of herself pop up in the corner as the news anchor continued talking. The shock of seeing herself had blood rushing to her head and the pounding of her heart drowned out his words.

"How much do they know?" Tony asked as he had FRIDAY to begin pulling up all the data she could find.

Pepper shook her head as she gripped the edges of the tablet to keep herself from reaching out to YN. She knew the woman was in shock and Pepper didn't want to take a chance of startling her and inadvertently triggering her abilities. "I don't think they know her name yet, but it's only a matter of time before they figure it out."

"What do we do?" YN asked softly as she forced herself to focus on the problem at hand instead of allowing herself to delve deeper into her own void of emotions.

Pepper looked to Tony, but he already knew what she was going to say. "We need to get ahead of this before the press gets ahold of it. Put our own spin on it. Make it seem like they beat us to the punch instead of them uncovering a dirty secret we've been trying to hide."

"That's what I was thinking," Pepper agreed as she turned to YN. "How do you feel about that?"

"You're talking about announcing me to the world, aren't you?" YN asked as she felt the room start to close in around her. "You want to make me. . ."

"An official Avenger?" Tony finished for her with a huge grin. "We always knew it was going to come to this. You ready kid?"

YN's eyes grew wide with alarm. "You mean now? Like right now?"

Pepper's phone buzzed and she stepped away to answer it.

Tony pointed to the photo of YN on his holographic screen. "They've already got your picture. It's only a matter of time before they get your name. After that, they get to write the narrative."

YN nodded as her mind started swimming with possibly headlines—each one worse than the one before. "If we announce it ourselves, then we get to tell my story in a way that doesn't make me seem like a monster."

He reached out and laid a hand on her arm. "Everyone here already knows you're a hero—it's just time we let the world in on our little secret."

"That was Fox News," Pepper said as she hung up the phone and turned back to them. "They're looking for an exclusive before they run with what they've got. I told them I'd get back to them in ten minutes. What's the plan?"

"Son of a bitch," Tony swore. "They're a bunch of damn vultures." He glanced up at YN to make sure she was still on board before he addressed Pepper again. "Call all the major news outlets and schedule a press conference in twenty minutes."

"What about Ross?" Pepper asked hesitantly.

"I'll handle him. You get YN and Steve ready to meet the press. Oh, and grab Romanoff, too."

Pepper motioned for YN to follow her as Tony instructed FRIDAY to get the Secretary of State on the line. Pepper started walking toward the elevator as she typed out a quick message to Steve and Nat.

"He's scared I'll get nervous," YN muttered as the elevator doors began closing.

"Hmm?"

"Tony," YN clarified. "He's scared I'll get nervous in front of the cameras and lose control. That's why he wants Steve and Nat there—I can't hurt them."

Pepper shook her head. "No, that's not it at all. He wants as many of the original six members at the press conference as possible to show a united front. Clint's on the farm, so he can't get back in time, Bruce is in Korea with Helen Cho, and Thor is off-world somewhere doing his own thing. Once he smooths things over with Secretary Ross, he'll be right by your side." Pepper laid a hand on YN's shoulder. "Tony trusts you."

YN wasn't sure if Pepper was being honest with her or not, but it sounded reasonable and she needed to believe it, so she did.

Steve and Nat were waiting for her on the level she shared with Steve. Nat was wearing her signature smirk and for a moment YN forgot all about the upcoming press conference.

"What?" she asked the spy.

Looping an arm through YN's, Nat began leading her back toward her room. "Did I ever tell you I never got to play with a Barbie doll? Granted I didn't know what they were until I was an adult, but they always seemed like fun."

"I don't understand. . ."

Nat pushed open the door and for a moment YN didn't recognize her own room. It looked as though a Miss America pageant had exploded as she surveyed the elaborate dressing table with it's multitude of oversized bulbs surrounding the mirror in the center and the pile of clothes strewn all over the bed.

"We've got less than fifteen minutes to get you camera ready," Nat said as she sat YN down at the vanity and started grabbing different brushes and pots of powders. "Did you want to wear something casual, or one of the suits Tony's been designing for you?"

"Tony's been designing suits?" YN tried to peer over her shoulder to see which of the outfits on the bed might be a suit.

Nat grabbed her chin and turned her face back around. "They're all lovely—and extremely functional. You just need to decide which style fits you best."

"I prefer the full-body suit over the skirt," Steve said as he walked into the room and grabbed the suit he liked. "It covers more of your skin in case of you accidentally lose control of your powers and neither Nat nor I are around to help."

YN rolled her eyes. "Tony designed one with a skirt? Who am I supposed to be? Super Girl?"

Chuckling, Nat finished up and turned YN's chair so YN could see the finished look. "I went for a subtle look—nothing too flashy for your first day as an Avenger."

YN nodded in approval. "It looks perfect. Thank you."

"No problem. Now go change so we can head downstairs an make you an official member of the team."

YN rose and grabbed the suit Steve held out for her.

"You ready?" he asked.

"For the press conference, or to be a superhero?"

"Both, I guess."

For the first time since Pepper had stormed into the lab, YN felt like she had a grip on the situation. Leaning in, she brushed her lips across Steve's and smiled. "I'm ready for it all."

"Somebody's been using her powers this morning," Tony said as he walked into the kitchen to find YN and Steve sitting at the breakfast bar eating thick Belgian waffles with their coffee.

Steve cocked his head to the side. "She used them to fill up the reservoir on the coffee maker. How'd you know?"

Tony wafted a hand in front of his nose. "I can smell it. Can't you?"

YN looked horrified. "My powers smell?"

"Not like that." Tony took a deep breath in through his nose and tried to figure out the best way to describe the unique scent that filled the atmosphere after YN used her abilities. "It's like petrichor, but sweeter."

"What's petrichor?" Steve asked as he sniffed his coffee before taking a hesitant sip.

Tony walked over to the coffee pot and poured himself a generous amount into an oversized mug with a picture Chemistry Cat asking ‘Why are my pants so wrinkled? Iron deficiency.’ He looked at the meme and chuckled before downing half the contents in one swallow. "Petrichor is what you smell after it rains for the first time in a while. You know, really earthy, but with a slight bite to it?"

"Petrichor," YN muttered to herself as she tried the word on for size. "Why that name?"

"It's Greek," Tony explained. "Petra means stone, and ichor was the fluid that flowed through the veins of the gods. Kinda fitting, don't you think?"

Steve and YN shared a confused look before turning back to Tony.

He sighed and shook his head. "You know, because she's practically Poseidon in human form."

A proud look came over YN's face as she nudged Steve. "Hear that? I'm practically a god."

Tony tapped YN on the shoulder with the back of his hand as he walked by. "Don't let it go to your head, kid. We're all practically gods. Except Thor, cause he is one already."

Steve didn't speak again until Tony had left. "Don't listen to him."

"No," YN said with a definitive shake of her head. "He's right. I'm not any more special than anyone else here." She paused as a self-satisfied smile spread across her face. "But it's still pretty cool, right?"

"What? That your powers have a unique scent?"

She rolled her eyes and chuckled. "I was talking about the name—petrichor. It's kinda pretty, don't you think? Maybe that could be my new superhero name."

He thought about it for a moment. "It's a pretty word, but it doesn't fit you."

YN was a little disappointed. Since the press conference announcing her to the world, they'd yet to come up with a good name for her. Once Tony had smoothed things over with Secretary Ross, he'd joined the rest of them and explained that her membership with the Avengers was still in the preliminary stages and that a formal reveal of what she brought to the team would be forthcoming. Christine Everhart had asked for YN's superhero name, but Tony had evaded the question since it wasn't something they'd discussed yet. 

Since then, she'd been desperately trying to come up with something, but so far nothing seemed to fit her. She knew it didn't really matter, but she'd convinced herself that having a superhero name would cement her position with the team and help garner approval from the public.

With a sigh she shrugged and continued eating her breakfast. Maybe Steve was right—maybe petrichor wasn't a good name for her. But it definitely made her start thinking that she should brush up on her Greek mythology.

______________________

_Author's Note: Thank you for reading Day 272 of my writing challenge. I hope you enjoyed it! I love the smell of petrichor, don't you? I loved that smell long before I ever knew it had a name, but I'm glad I know it now. Which brings us to the topic of names. They still haven't figured out a good name for her, but they're getting closer! It won't be long now that her interest in Greek mythology has been piqued. I look forward to your comments, and if you enjoyed this story, please consider reblogging!_

Since Tony had mentioned Poseidon, YN had been scouring the internet for information on the Greek god. She knew Poseidon wasn't the right name for her, but there had to be some other god or goddess that would suit her needs and provide her with an appropriate name.

It had been years since she'd been in school and learned about the Greek gods and goddesses, so researching online proved to be a fun little trip down memory lane. She'd been surprised to see that an entire Young Adult series had been created around the mythology and she added a few of the Percy Jackson novels to her online shopping cart as she continued her search.

She'd learned that Poseidon ruled over all the waters of the earth—both salt and fresh. Other lesser gods and goddesses had control of certain rivers and waterways, but they ultimately answered to Poseidon. Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea, was one such lesser god, even though Poseidon had eventually married his daughter, Amphitrite. 

Amphitrite was a sea-nymph, but her name was almost impossible to pronounce. YN had rejected it almost as soon as she'd read it even though it seemed perfect for her. She needed a name that was both indicative of her abilities, yet catchy enough for everyone to remember.

Sighing, she went back to her online shopping cart and ordered the first five books in the Percy Jackson series. If anything, they would offer an enjoyable distraction while she searched for the perfect name. The reviews she'd read had heaped praise upon the author and she was actually excited about starting the series.

With her order placed, she turned off her tablet and went into search of Steve. It was a beautiful day, so she knew he was probably outside somewhere with his art supplies sketching something. 

The history books in school hadn't mentioned Captain America's artistic abilities, so she'd been pleasantly surprised to learn that her boyfriend possessed an impressive artistic touch. Their room was littered with half-drawn sketches of his friends, but most of his latest works featured her as his subject.

When she'd discovered the drawing of her sleeping, she'd been taken aback with how talented he was. Running her finger over the charcoal lines, she could almost swear it was a photograph rather than a drawing.

She'd become his muse over the past few months, but she wasn't complaining. He saw her in a way she never had and seeing herself portrayed as a strong, formidable force of nature helped her to deal with the self-confidence issues she had.

Wandering the grounds of the Compound, she finally found him down by the Hudson with an easel set up facing the water. Drawing up short, she watched him work for a few moments before she saw the slight stiffening of his shoulders that let her know her presence had been noticed.

He was painting, which was new to her. She'd seen some of the oils and watercolors in his art supplies, but she'd never seen him use them before now. 

Walking closer, the painting he was working on started to come into focus. It wasn't finished, but it was impossible not to notice that she was yet again the subject of his artwork.

"What's this?" she asked as she bent over to rest her arms across his shoulders so she could study the painting before him.

He turned his head to brush his lips across hers before looking back at his work-in-progress. "It's you."

She smiled and rolled her eyes even though he couldn't see her. "I know it's me, but what I am supposed to be doing?"

Stepping around Steve, she looked closer at the painting. Once she was right in front of it, she could start to make out the little details that gave the viewer the impression that the subject was underwater. He'd already painted her likeness from the shoulders up, but where the top of her head should've been, there were blurs of colors to indicate the surface of a body of water reflecting what lay beneath it.

He took a deep breath and put down his watercolors and brushes. "Tony got me thinking about Greek mythology. . ."

"Me too," she interrupted with a chuckle. "I've been researching Poseidon and all of his minions."

"I guess she could be considered one," Steve mused aloud as he tilted his head to survey his work so far."

"Is she a sea-nymph?"

"Not quite," Steve explained. "She's a fresh-water nymph. A Naiad."

She reached out to touch the painting, but Steve stopped her.

"It's still wet," he warned.

"Yeah?" On impulse, she used her abilities to play with the watercolors on the canvas. With a few twitches of her fingers, the painting seemed to come alive.

"Stop right there." Steve jumped to his feet and grabbed YN's hands. "I was having trouble with the reflection, but you just fixed it." He couldn't believe that with just a few flicks of her wrist, she'd been able to manipulate the colors enough to give him the effect he needed. Realizing the potential, he figured watercolors would be his new favorite medium with her around.

Her eyes had gone to his the moment he'd called out to her, so she turned back to the painting to see what he was talking about. She studied the differences she'd made in the painting and realized he was right—the light above the Naiad's head seemed more realistic after she'd played with the colors a bit.

"A Naiad, huh?" she asked as she looked back at him.

He narrowed his eyes. "What are you thinking?"

A slow smile spread across her face. "I'm thinking I just found my name."

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_Author's Note: Thank you for reading Day 293 of my writing challenge. I hope you enjoyed it! Are you surprised that the Reader has become Steve's new favorite muse? Would you like to have Steve Rogers draw pictures of you all the time? And of course, he'd be the one to help her find her superhero name! What did you think of her playing with the wet watercolors? It kinda reminded me of the way paintings moved in the Harry Potter series. I look forward to your comments, and if you enjoyed this story, please consider reblogging!_

_BTW, here's the painting I based Steve's work off of. Obviously, the woman isn't supposed to be the Reader, I was just going off the stylistic components of the artwork._

_Girl Underwater _\- from The Naiad Series. Modern Painting Of Underwater Environment. Painting by Vali Irina Ciobanu

"Naiad Saves the Day"

YN ran her fingers over the large, bold headline that occupied the top of the New York Times newspaper Tony had brought to her that morning. He wasn't one to normally bother with newsprint, but he knew this article would be one she'd want to save.

Learning to control her powers had seemed to take forever, but the week following the press conference had seemed to fly by in a blur. Between greeting the world as the newest Avenger, to researching and discovering her new name, and then the disaster that the paper was reporting on, she felt as though she'd been caught up in a whirlwind.

The East Branch Reservoir was one of the main suppliers of water for New York City, and had been created by building a dam to impound the East Branch of the Croton River. In later years, the city of Brewster had been issued a license by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to harness the dam's energy. The city had since installed two hydroelectric turbines operated by direct-drive synchronous generators to help offset the need for coal-fired electric power.

Everything had been running smoothly for years until one of the generators had overheated causing a three foot crack to appear near the bottom of the dam. Water had immediately began pouring through the opening and threatening the nearby city of Brewster.

YN had never faced such a severe threat, but Steve, Tony, and Wanda had all assured her she was more than capable of handling the disaster. While she'd held back the torrents of water, Wanda had used her powers to place the broken pieces of concrete back into the dam. Steve and Tony had gotten the generator back online before Tony had used his repulsors to seal the crack.

It had taken less than an hour, but holding back that many millions of gallons of water had taken its toll on YN. By the time Tony and Wanda had finished fixing the fissure, she'd all but collapsed into Steve's arms. Thankfully, the photograph on the cover of the newspaper showed her looking strong and capable instead of lying half-unconscious in her boyfriend's arms.

As she read through the report, she was surprised to see an entire paragraph dedicated to the meaning behind her name. She'd chosen Naiad partly because of the painting Steve had created for her, but mostly because of what she'd learned during her research afterward.

Naiads—like Steve had told her—were fresh water nymphs from Greek mythology. They weren't exactly gods, but more like spirits that inhabited certain bodies of water and looked after the people that lived nearby. Some legends even suggested that the waters guarded by a Naiad had magical medicinal properties for those that bathed in them.

There had been some not-so-nice lore associated with Naiads that had spoke of their extreme jealousy, but YN ignored that for the more pleasant stories. She was by no means a jealous person, but she was protective of the ones she loved. She briefly thought of her parents, whom she'd been unable to save. Having control of her abilities now wouldn't bring her parents back, but she was determined she would use them to help save others like them. And being an Avenger meant that she could be called upon at any given moment.

Which is what had happened the day before.

As a child, she'd been fearful of her power, but also mesmerized by it—until HYDRA had captured her. Now as an adult, she'd learned to control it, but there was still the fear that people would see her as a threat instead of a hero.

But as she continued to read the article, she realized that all the world saw was the hero, and that was something she could definitely live with.

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_Author's Note: Thank you for reading Day 332 of my writing challenge. I hope you enjoyed it! I feel like this entire story has been leading up to this prompt! And how perfect that the photo that accompanied it was of a mermaid! Our Reader has come a long way since her days of being held captive by HYDRA, and even from the traumatic experience of almost drowning alongside her parents as a child. I look forward to your comments, and if you enjoyed this story, please consider reblogging!_

Steve could barely see past the hood of the car as he drove up the steep winding road toward the cabin he and YN had rented for the week. The National Weather Service had predicted a light snowfall, but as they continued to rise in elevation, the flakes started to resemble dinner plates.

"How much farther do we have to go?" YN asked as she glanced at the SUV's GPS system.

"A few more miles, I think." Steve wasn't about to chance taking his eyes off the road, so he let YN fiddle with the navigational system.

Steve rounded a turn and the back-end of the car slid a bit before he was able to get it straightened back out. YN could feel the blood draining from her face as worry started to set in.

They'd booked this mini-vacation right before the holidays in the hopes that the world wouldn't need them until at least New Years, but they hadn't really accounted for the weather disrupting their plans. She'd thought a cabin in the woods right before Christmas would be magical with the snow, but a blizzard was definitely more than either of them had bargained for.

"It'll be fine," Steve assured her, his knuckles starting to turn white as he gripped the steering wheel. "The all-wheel drive is engaged, so we just need to take it slow."

YN made a noise of agreement—too nervous to actually speak. She could tell how stressed Steve was driving in the snow storm, but she didn't want to make things worse by saying the wrong thing.

"Too bad this isn't rain." he muttered.

"Huh?"

"Rain," Steve repeated as he used his chin to gesture toward the snow. "If it were rain, you could just make it stop."

Excitement bubbled inside of her as she thought about his suggestion. It might not have been rain, but snow was nothing more than frozen water. Why couldn't she control it the same way she did the liquid form?

Scared of getting his hopes up, she kept her theory to herself as she concentrated on slowing down the snow falling from above them. With each passing second, she could feel her power coursing through her and she wasn't sure, but she thought she saw the snowfall starting to taper off a bit.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing," she lied.

"I can smell the petrichor," he said as he glanced over at her quickly before turning his attention back to the road. "You're trying to stop the snow."

Knowing she'd been caught, she figured she might as well go all out. Raising her hands, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she concentrated on not only stopping the storm around them, but clearing away the snow in their path.

"Holy shit," Steve muttered.

YN's eyes flew open and she was amazed to see the path in front of them completely clear while the snow still fell on either side of them.

Steve's grip on the steering wheel eased up a bit now that the roads weren't an icy, snowy mess. "Keep doing whatever you're doing."

She nodded and continued to use her powers to get them safely up the mountain.

Once they reached their cabin and got out of the car, she finally let go and let out a deep sigh of relief. "That's a hell of a lot harder than just rain."

Steve reached down and picked up a scoop of snow. "The air temperature is just below freezing, so this stuff is heavy and wet. It's no wonder it took a toll on you." He dropped the snow and walked around the car to pull her into his embrace. "But I'm not sure we would've made it without you."

She curled into him and let his warmth envelope her. The snow was still falling around them, and now that they were out of danger, she could appreciate the beauty of the storm. But she'd rather do that inside rather than out, so she reluctantly pulled away and headed toward the back hatch. "Let's get this stuff inside and then we can build a fire and watch it snow through the windows."

Steve grabbed their suitcases while she began shouldering the bags of groceries they'd brought with them. "That sounds like a plan."

"This place has an outdoor jacuzzi, right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

She waited for Steve to unlock the door to the cabin before replying. "Well, I was thinking that tomorrow we could sit outside and watch it snow from the comfort of hundred degree water—with jets."

"What if it stops snowing by the morning?" he asked as he kicked the door shut behind them and quickly surveyed the room.

Dropping the bags of groceries onto the kitchen counter, she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a kiss. "Then I guess I'll just have to make it start again."

"I like the way you think," he murmured as he began to deepen the kiss.

"Then you'll love the next idea I've got," she teased as she began walking backwards toward the bedroom.

"Yeah? What's that?"

"Our bedroom has it's own fireplace. . .so maybe we can build that fire and watch it snow right from our bed."

Steve pretended to consider her idea. "And what if we get bored?"

With a laugh, she grabbed the lapels of his flannel shirt and pulled his mouth back down onto hers as she whispered against his lips. "I'm sure we'll figure out something."

** _~ The End ~_ **

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_Author's Note: Thank you for reading Day 350 of my writing challenge. I hope you enjoyed it! This Miniseries started out from an idea I had over three years ago, but that story was supposed to be a Bucky x Reader. I kept the Reader's abilities, but that's about it. . .and I've got to be honest. . .I like the way this turned out so much better than my original idea. Now I know why I could never write the Bucky version of this story—it was always meant for Steve. What did you think of her newfound ability to control the snow? They'll never have to worry about not having a white Christmas ever again, right? I feel like these two are in a really good place—she has control of her powers, but she's still learning new things ever day, and they seem to be in a good place with their relationship. I mean, seriously, how many of you would like to be stuck on top of a snowy mountain with Steve Rogers and a hot tub? I definitely wouldn't say no to that! Thanks for sticking with me for this one! I look forward to your comments, and if you enjoyed this story, please consider reblogging!_


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